Red Plum Blossoms
by DauntingJustice
Summary: All his life, Emil had never thought that he'd ever find anyone who'd be willing to put up with him. A certain Chinese is determined to prove him wrong. (HongIce; one-shot).


_**Author's note: I do not own Hetalia, or any of the characters; I love messing around with 'em, though. (I don't own the cover image, either!)**_

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A slightly trembling hand caressing his cheek; fingers tangled in his hair; eyes the colour of dark chocolate locked onto his much lighter ones. Such was the position Emil found himself in on this dark and moonless night in his chilly, lonely house, and in those moments, he couldn't even remember how all this had happened. All he knew was that his heart felt like it was about to burst, that his head was clouded with everything and nothing at the same time, that his legs were shaking so badly he was sure he would have fallen over if he wasn't being held so firmly…yet so tenderly.

He never knew Leon could be so gentle, yet so passionate at the same time. There was something in those dark eyes of his, something that he knew if he searched long enough for, he wouldn't be able to find…because Leon was always known to hide his emotions better than most. Emil could never tell what he was thinking.

Maybe that's why he hadn't seen it coming.

The kiss, that would be.

He didn't know what to think; he didn't know what to _feel_. How could anything make one so wobbly and unstable? Words formed at the tip of his tongue only to vanish and die in his throat, forever unsaid. But in this situation…what _could_ be said?

Leon didn't seem to want anything to be said, either, because all he did was stare into Emil's eyes like they were the most fascinating thing he'd ever known to exist. Purple was a very fickle colour; it could look as soft as lilacs, or as ferocious as an ancient curse. Somehow Emil made it both—a violet so tender, but it could still bring you to your knees if you crossed a line.

Oh God, he'd wanted to do this for a long time. Just…stare at Emil and take in every detail of his face. Breathe in his scent. Feel his touch. He never thought he'd be able to do it.

But there they were; all tangled and confused, but both of them feeling like everything was so…so _perfect_. Just right.

' _This is how the universe is supposed to be.'_ Their thoughts came as one. _'With Hong Kong and Iceland together.'_ Two very different countries; one would think that it were impossible for them to even know the other's name.

' _I don't care.'_ They both thought, once again, in unison.

Leon pressed their lips together before he was done studying him, unable to suppress the urge. He felt Emil's hands behind his back, pulling him closer, if that was even possible, because no two beings could be as close as those two were at the moment.

Emil's lips tasted like licorice, and they felt so warm and delicate at the same time. Leon was so entranced, he hadn't even realised Emil had boldly deepened the kiss.

Emil hadn't a clue where this sudden confidence had burst from, but the more he held the Chinese, the more he realised he never wanted to let go. How come he'd never realised these feelings? Where were they buried all of this time? The Icelander had no answers; he could only think about how refreshing the scent of bamboo was.

He finally succumbed to the need for air, and they both broke apart, still woozy and unsteady on their feet. They stared at each other for a minute; two; three. And then—

laughter.

Beautiful, beautiful laughter that rose from the Icelander's mouth and spilled out like a blessing. Leon's heart might have stopped right there, and he would have never noticed.

Emil didn't stop laughing, and Leon didn't want him to. _(So beautiful…)_ He had to lean on the Chinese completely to prevent from falling over, and Leon gladly held him, breathing in more of that licorice scent. _(Like, he really loves licorice, doesn't he?)_

"God," Emil seemed to have finally found the words. "I-I…never knew…never…" He steadied himself somewhat, but found himself still holding Leon's shoulders. He didn't let go.

"Never knew what?" The corners of Leon's lips lifted into a smirk. "That I'm, like, such a good kisser?"

Emil made a face that Leon assumed was supposed to be indifference, but it came out more like cute than anything else. "That…that someone would…" he inhaled, "…would actually be interested in me."

Leon could have laughed. "Pfft, like, what do you mean? I'm not 'interested'." His smirk grew wider once he saw the confused look on the other boy's face, and he took a closer step, leaning in so that he could feel Emil's shaky breaths. "Can't believe I'm, like, being like those guys in generic movie kiss scenes, but I want…I want to do that again." Emil stared at him. "And again. Like, every time we see each other, I want to do that. And maybe more. But, ya know, I'll keep it PG since we're just starting."

A prominent rosy red coloured Emil's pale cheeks. Leon found it adorable. "H-Hey! You could j-just…say that you like me…"

"I was trying to not, like, be cheesy."

"That _was_ cheesy."

"Oh, well," Leon snickered under his breath and slipped his hands around Emil's waist. "It got the point across, didn't it?"

Emil couldn't help himself. He no longer felt wobbly, but more relaxed and so at home, and it had nothing to do with the fact that this was his house. "Wow, you suck at this."

Leon grinned. "Great, I'll, like, take it as a yes."

"A yes?"

He rolled his eyes. "Uh, genius, we just, like, kissed. And you don't seem to have any issues, so we're totally together now, right?"

Emil blinked. _Kiss. Together. Boyfriend._

 _Oh._

When he remained unresponsive for a few minutes, Leon snapped his fingers in front of his face. As he regained his focus, Emil's face was turning redder than the Red Plum Blossoms that Leon would watch bloom every winter back in China. He made a sudden decision.

"Hey, Emil." The boy jumped slightly at the sound of his name; it seemed that he was still in a daze. Leon impulsively removed a hand from his waist and placed it on his chest; right there, right on his heart.

 _Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub._

He could hear it— _feel_ it—so clearly as if it were his very own, and it mesmerised him so much that when he spoke, his voice was softer than a whisper. "When I was staying with my old man, I used to watch a certain type of flower bloom every winter with him."

Emil blinked slowly, like he wasn't sure where this was headed. "Flower…in winter?"

"It's, like, a very strong flower…" Leon continued, "It can withstand frosty weather, and it's, like, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He bit his lip, unsure where this sudden nervousness had come from. He had been in perfect control until just now. "And I, uh, want to see it with you next time."

"M-Me…? All the way in China—"

"Like, I want to put two beautiful sights next to each other." Leon cut him off, determined to make him see what he meant. "And then I could see Emil, and I could see that flower–the Red Plum Blossom–together…" His voice, for once, faltered, his previous confidence gone. _'Welp, that was…like, a major flop.'_

But Emil didn't laugh at him. Well, not in a scornful way, because a few giggles _had_ escaped the Icelander's mouth. They were more endearing than anything, and Leon forgot all about the sudden heat in his cheeks when Emil gave him a quick, shy kiss. " _Allt í lagi._ Why not? I'll follow you to China and maybe the end of the world if you're not too annoying."

Leon said nothing; merely stared at Emil once more, returning to his previous task of memorising every part of his face.

"Yeah," He finally said, "Make sure you can, like, keep up. 'Cause I don't, like, wait for slow pokes."

Emil cocked his head to the side and flicked the Chinese's forehead. "Watch it, I might just leave you to spend winter alone."

"Oh, you, like, did not just say that. And we haven't even had our first date yet."

Emil simply shrugged innocently. "What can I say? I'm one of a kind…well, not really in a good way."

"Please," Leon rolled his eyes. "Like, here comes the cheesy again, but you're one of a kind in, like, the best way imaginable, so shut up." He frowned slightly. "And don't go around, like, telling people I'm so 'cute' or whatever. I have, you know, an image to keep up and stuff."

"Mhm…" Emil nodded, not really listening. He was more focused on the movement of Leon's lips, and how enticing they looked right now. "Sure thing…Lukas would probably never let this topic go, anyway. I don't really want to tell anyone yet."

"Hah, the generic 'secret' couple." Leon ran his hand through Emil's hair, admiring how the little light they had fell on the silvery strands, and they felt like moon dust in his hands. "Possibly the only cheesy thing I like."

After that they said no more. They didn't _want_ to say anymore. All they did was lean closer, part their lips, stare, and lose themselves in each other.

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 _ **Translation (again, taken from Google…):**_

 _ **-Allt í lagi: Okay**_

 _ **A dose of fluff a day keeps the angsty feels away…**_

 _ **I can't believe I didn't notice this ship from the start. These babies are precious.**_

 _ **If you take your time to read this, thank you! Reviews are appreciated.**_

 _ **~D.J.**_


End file.
